Flags appearing on Coins (China)

In doing some work on flags that appear on Chinese coins I ran across one that I did not find on your website (it might be there - but I could have missed it) so am sending it along.

The flag is the Revolutionary Army Flag 1911-1912. The flag appears on a number of Chinese coins issued between about 1912 and the 1920's. It usually appears on the coins crossed with the 5 band Flag of the Republic, with the Revolution flag on the right and the Republic flag on the left.

by Joel Anderson

The illustration of the flag is from the book "Coins in China's History" by Arthur Braddan Coole. 4th edition, 1965 Inter-Collegiate Press, Inc. Mission, KS. The explanation given with the flag is as follows:

Revolutionary Army Flag 1911-1912

During the period of the revolutionary days of 1911-1912 this flag was carried by the Chinese Army. The red stood for sacrifice and the black for an iron will. The blue handles to the dumb-bells represented the Chinese people, while the eighteen heats stood for the original 18 provinces of China Proper. (page vii)

Rev. Coole was a long-time missionary in China before the 1949 Revolution and was considered the leading authority on Chinese coins for many years.

by Joel Anderson

The same page also included a slightly different version of the Chinese Imperial Flag than is on the web site. The only explanation given is "Dragon Flag of the Chinese Imperial Government Ch'ing Dynasty A.D. 1644-1911"
Joel Anderson, 12 March 2002